What We Know About HoloLens 2

I firmly believe that mixed reality will have as big an impact on the world as the Smartphone.

Mixed reality promises to be a genuinely transformational technology. MR will add new interactions, apps, games, and experiences we have yet to imagine to our world. Our everyday reality will be transformed in numerous ways to enhance learning, communication, and play.Experiences that maximize the visual capabilities of MR can create moments that surpass anything in another medium.

The technology for mixed reality is still in its infancy, but currently, the well-known headsets are Magic Leap One and Microsoft HoloLens, with the Nreal MR glasses set to release next year.

Its been a little over three years since the release of the original HoloLens. While it's been rumored that HoloLens 2 will be available in September, a Microsoft spokesperson offered this response when asked about availability: "As we announced in February, Microsoft HoloLens 2 will begin shipping later this year. We have started collecting expressions of interest for HoloLens 2 preorders and, as part of our standard practice for gathering feedback, have shared near-final prototypes with some customers, but have not announced a date for general availability."

While we don’t have an exact date, we do know quite a lot about the specs of HoloLens 2.

Microsoft

The headset offers an improved overall experience over its predecessor. The upgrade that will be the most welcome is the field of view - this has been increased from 35 degrees to 52. In practice, this will make a world of difference. Greater comfort is offered through better balancing - the battery is situated at the back of the head now - and it’s lighter than HoloLens 1 due to a carbon fiber build.

In addition, the hand gesture controls are now much more natural and logical - if you want to grab, scale or move something you can quite literally do just that as you would expect to, rather than having to learn specific HoloLens gestures.

HoloLens 2 can also track your exact finger positions - you can navigate easier and do more minute tasks within the interface. In fact, the headset is designed to get used to your hands and their movements over time. There’s also eye-tracking software built into the headset so you can move around certain interface elements using just your eyes - this is particularly useful when reading text.

Microsoft

HoloLens 2 is firmly aimed at enterprise customers - the commercially ready device is $3,500. Those interested need to head over to the official HoloLens 2 page to register interest and a specialist will contact you to provide more information.

Tech Specs

Spec

HoloLens

HoloLens 2

CPU

Intel 1.0GHZ

Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 Compute Platform

GPU

Custom HPU

Custom HPU + 850

Resolution

1268 x 720 (per eye)

2048 x 1080 (per eye)

Field of View

35 degrees

52 degrees

Weight

579g

566g

Interactions

Hand tracking, voice control

Hand tracking, eye tracking, voice control, flip-up display

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I firmly believe that mixed reality will have as big an impact on the world as the Smartphone.

Mixed reality promises to be a genuinely transformational technology. MR will add new interactions, apps, games, and experiences we have yet to imagine to our world. Our everyday reality will be transformed in numerous ways to enhance learning, communication, and play.Experiences that maximize the visual capabilities of MR can create moments that surpass anything in another medium.

The technology for mixed reality is still in its infancy, but currently, the well-known headsets are Magic Leap One and Microsoft HoloLens, with the Nreal MR glasses set to release next year.

Its been a little over three years since the release of the original HoloLens. While it's been rumored that HoloLens 2 will be available in September, a Microsoft spokesperson offered this response when asked about availability: "As we announced in February, Microsoft HoloLens 2 will begin shipping later this year. We have started collecting expressions of interest for HoloLens 2 preorders and, as part of our standard practice for gathering feedback, have shared near-final prototypes with some customers, but have not announced a date for general availability."

While we don’t have an exact date, we do know quite a lot about the specs of HoloLens 2.

Microsoft

The headset offers an improved overall experience over its predecessor. The upgrade that will be the most welcome is the field of view - this has been increased from 35 degrees to 52. In practice, this will make a world of difference. Greater comfort is offered through better balancing - the battery is situated at the back of the head now - and it’s lighter than HoloLens 1 due to a carbon fiber build.

In addition, the hand gesture controls are now much more natural and logical - if you want to grab, scale or move something you can quite literally do just that as you would expect to, rather than having to learn specific HoloLens gestures.

HoloLens 2 can also track your exact finger positions - you can navigate easier and do more minute tasks within the interface. In fact, the headset is designed to get used to your hands and their movements over time. There’s also eye-tracking software built into the headset so you can move around certain interface elements using just your eyes - this is particularly useful when reading text.

Microsoft

HoloLens 2 is firmly aimed at enterprise customers - the commercially ready device is $3,500. Those interested need to head over to the official HoloLens 2 page to register interest and a specialist will contact you to provide more information.